We had originally wanted to white wash the ceiling so we could see the grain pattern in the wood, but soon realized it was going to be much faster & look just as good if we primed and painted the ceiling instead. Aaron hates painting (too much of a perfectionist) but took the task on and put 3 layers of primer on before we chose the perfect color of white for the kitchen & great room.

Choosing the perfect color of white was also a process, but we’re happy to have taken the time. In my day job as a designer at a custom framing shop in San Francisco, I spend much of my time finding the the perfect white mat to match (or beautifully contrast) with a customer’s piece of art. Who knew there were SO MANY shades of white!? So we gathered up all the white paint samples we could, taped them up to the ceiling & watched to see which ones we favored throughout the day as the light changed. We settled on “Bleached Linen” which adds a nice grayish tone to the overall space and works great with the grayish-grain in the white oak paneling. We’re quite pleased with the results!